Darden Restaurants had its first earnings call since its board was completely replaced two months ago, on which it heavily emphasized to-go ordering at its largest chain. “Olive Garden has great food that travels very, very well.”

Darden Restaurants did just that, and in a shockingly swift and public fashion. Here’s a look at just how the board of the casual dining giant and parent to brands like Olive Garden and, until recently, Red Lobster, pulled it off.

As the heated battle between Darden Restaurants and hedge fund Starboard Value comes to a head, an Olive Garden employee representing the restaurant’s workers spoke exclusively to BuzzFeed News about what life at the chain is really like. “There are things that need to change.”

One of two leading leading proxy advisory firms has recommended shareholders of Olive Garden parent Darden replace the entire board with activist hedge fund Starboard Value’s slate of 12 nominees. The news comes as Starboard is preparing to meet with Darden employees who have threatened direct action ahead of next month’s annual shareholder meeting.

Starboard Value’s meticulously detailed takedown of Olive Garden, which claims the restaurants gives away too many free breadsticks, overuses salad dressing, and doesn’t salt the water before cooking its pasta, made it to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

Four days after an activist hedge fund released an eviscerating analysis on the state of Olive Garden restaurants, claiming it was giving away too many breadsticks and doesn’t salt the water before cooking its pasta, among other things, parent company Darden responds.

The parent company of Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and other fast casual dining chains delayed its annual shareholder meeting amid allegations it was giving different information out to different classes of investors regarding the sale of Red Lobster. Activist investor Starboard Capital isn’t happy with the move.

A lame duck CEO, a swift sale of Red Lobster without shareholder approval, and two hedge funds out for the entire board should make the Darden annual meeting in Orlando next month quite the spectacle. So. Much. Drama.

Darden Restaurants announced late Monday that CEO Clarence Otis will be stepping down after 10 years with the fast casual dining giant. His departure follows the company’s sale of Red Lobster to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital.

The parent company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster missed analyst earnings estimates for the fourth quarter. Executives, who are facing shareholder opposition to the $2.1 billion sale of Red Lobster, called fiscal 2014 “a year of transformation.”

Darden says its sale last month of the seafood restaurant chain for $2.1 billion was full and fair. Activist investors say it was a scorched earth tactic meant to save the jobs of executives. A showdown is set for the company’s annual meeting later this year.

The company said in an earnings call Friday morning that the quarter was “challenging,” especially at Red Lobster, which the company is trying to spin off. Darden’s CEO also urged shareholders to communicate with the company instead of holding a special vote on the spin-off or sale that an activist hedge fund has been fighting for in recent months.

Darden Restaurants reports earnings tomorrow, and another weak report could be enough to move shareholders to side with an activist hedge fund that is trying to stop the company from spinning off its chain of Red Lobster restaurants.